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GOING out to eat is an activity that can easily morph from a cozy twosome to a clan of 20. You tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on and so on. And then there’s always the celebration dinner – birthday, engagement, in-laws meeting each other for the first time. What and where to eat inevitably becomes the be-all end-all for a successful evening.

From one drink for $10 to an open bar for $20, here are a few of our favorite places for dining en masse.

MEXICAN FIESTA AT ROSA MEXICANO

9 E. 18th St.; (212) 533-3350

What’s better than a fresh pomegranate margarita ($10) to get a party started? Not much, especially when your posse of less than 25 can simply order à la carte. Get started with tableside guacamole ($14 for two), and flautas de pollo ($7.50) – rolled crispy chicken tacos topped with salsa and sour cream – then dig into main courses like assorted overstuffed soft tacos ($19). Parties larger than 25 will have do the prix fixe ($75-$105 per person), but a spacious, skylit loft space at the Union Square location makes it worth shelling out green up front.

SMALL PLATES AT STANTON SOCIAL

99 Stanton St.; (212) 995-0099

Social is the thing at Stanton Social – and you can do it until 2 a.m. weeknights and 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Groups of eight are seated at a communal table in the center of the main dining room, while parties of 20 get to take over the entire second-floor mezzanine. If your group is larger than 12, you’ll have to commit to the $45 prix fixe meal, which is practically a steal since it includes nine savory plates (of your choice!) served in four family-style courses, and two desserts. Plus, they throw in a two-hour open bar for an additional $20.

ITALIAN AT LUPA

170 Thompson St.; (212) 982-5089

The wait at Lupa – Mario Batali’s temple of rustic Italian fare – is always infinite, but if you’re dining with enough people, Lupa will seat you right away. (They only take reservations for parties of seven or more.) If you’re fewer than 14, you’ll dine at a farmhouse table in the main dining room, but if you’re more, you get the glory of the cozy windowed salon with an L-shaped banquette overlooking a garden. The best part of the large-group format at Lupa is that the prix fixe menu ($60 or $75 per person) allows you to try an array of chef Steve Connaughton’s killer Roman-style eats.

CHINESE FEAST AT BUDDAKAN

75 Ninth Ave.; (212) 989-6699

The only way to eat Chinese food is in bulk, which makes Buddakan an ideal spot for a banquet. Parties of up to 30 can sit at the long medieval table, also the visual centerpiece of the Chinoiserie – Buddakan’s beautifully ornate sunken dining room. But there are more secluded spaces to dine, like the scarlet-hued Chinese Lounge or the Golden Library. Groups of more than 15 must opt for the prix fixe feast ($95-$135 per person), which includes family-style portions of Cantonese spring rolls, edamame dumplings, tea-smoked chicken and more.